Spotlight on retail hospitality businesses

Fair Work Ombudsman inspectors are targeting local
retailers and hospitality businesses to ensure they are paying
correct wage rates.

This week, six inspectors will visit up to
100 employers selected at random in Alice Springs.

Employers will be asked to open their books, allowing
inspectors to view their records, with a particular emphasis on
minimum pay rates.

Inspectors will particularly focus on minimum hourly
rates, penalty rates for weekends and public holidays, loadings for
shift work and overtime.

The retail and hospitality industries employ large numbers
of young workers and overseas workers, including
backpackers.

Employers who do not have records available on-site will
be asked to supply them for review within two
weeks.

In 2012, the Fair Work Ombudsman audited 11 hospitality
businesses in Alice Springs and found five of them had underpaid
136 employees almost $50,000.

Last year, another hospitality business was found to have
short-changed seven of its employees more than $2300.

In the 2012-13 financial year, the Fair Work Ombudsman
recovered more than $200,000 for over 300 workers in the Northern
Territory who were found to have been underpaid.

Nationally, more than $24 million was recovered for over
17,000 employees.

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